I'm just crazy in love with Jesus and the people that he created to love him and serve him! I just hope that the JOY that God has given me will rub off onto others!”Justin Truett, youth pastor
Photo shows Chelsea and Justin Truett.
SIMCOE – Even though Simcoe Worship Center was damaged in a huge fire in January, the spirit of the congregation remains strong, if not stronger, in the community. Because their motto is, ‘CALL, CONNECT, CARE!’ they believe in calling on God, connecting with God and caring for all people. By spreading the Word of God to those around them, there have been many people throughout the community who have been either touched, blessed or helped by them.
God calls very special people to tend his flock. Justin Truett, for example, is one such person. Truett is the church’s youth pastor and he has a special knack with teenagers. He relates to them in a way that allows him to bring Jesus into their lives – and they love it!
Truett and his wife Chelsea both work with the youth. The two have been married for six and a half years and have two beautiful children, 4-year-old Kaylee and 2-year-old Judah. Truett was born in Montgomery, but grew up in Prattville where he graduated from Prattville High School in 2002. He moved to Arab eight years ago and currently works for a government contractor at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
“I knew at a young age, probably around 14-15, that God had a great calling on my life to preach his word,” Truett began. “Thankfully, I grew up in a Christian home where my parents loved Jesus. My PawPaw, Reverend Donald N. Denmark, was an amazing man. He was actually the greatest man I've ever known. He was a dedicated, passionate and loving Church of God pastor for over 30 years. MawMaw, to this day, is the sincerest and Godliest women I have ever met,” he smiled as he thought about his religious upbringing. “I'm just crazy in love with Jesus and the people that he created to love him and serve him. I just hope that the JOY that God has given me will rub off onto others.
“As a teen, I was given the opportunity to preach at my home church, Church at the Brook, in Millbrook, Alabama, under an amazing man, Bishop Randy Eubanks,” he continued. “When we later moved to Guntersville, I became the junior high youth leader at The River Church of God. We were there for about seven years,” he smiled warmly. “Those seven years were the greatest years of my life; it is where God TRULY changed my life. He gave me the grace to fall in love with the Word of God. It’s where I truly started learning, growing and functioning in the call that God had on my life! It’s where my wife and I got married and where our children were born. If the Lord had never led me to The River COG, my life would NOT be great like it is today.”
Truett is extremely passionate about his role in the church. He takes his responsibility very seriously and works hard to help the youth understand that God truly loves them.
“If God has a plan for someone's life, I believe that there needs to be people to encourage them along the way,” he grinned. “Someone needs to tell them things like, ‘If God is for you, it doesn't matter who or what is against you’ and ‘Nothing is impossible with God, and nothing is impossible for those who believe in Jesus!’ In this evil and twisted world we live in, the people of God MUST be ENCOURAGED! That's my goal in life, and it’s one of my biggest goals for the youth at Simcoe Worship Center. They can do anything if they simply trust in the Lord with all of their heart. As youth pastor I am there to help lead them, but I always want to encourage them.”
Simcoe Worship Center holds a special place in Truett’s heart and it shows when he speaks of it. He gets excited and beams when he thinks of what his church means to him.
“We are a spirit-filled, Holy Ghost- and fire-baptized group of people wanting to see lost people saved,” he roared. “We want all people to be changed and set free by the power of God – that is the greatest thing I can say about Pastor Heath Tinker and the people of Simcoe Worship Center; they truly cry out and call on God, just as the Bible speaks of God's people doing! God’s “will” be done at and through Simcoe Worship Center,” he grinned. “My wife and I are excited about what God has in store for everyone at SWC, as well as for those lives that God is going to change around us!”
A fire may have damaged Simcoe Worship Center, but it’s not done a thing to destroy God’s Spirit within the church. The church needs your good thoughts and prayers in the coming months as they work to rebuild. To keep up to date on their progress, follow them on Facebook at http://qrne.ws/swc.
